Eleanor is in town!

The Boston Tea Party vessel made a significant 17-hour trip from Boston with tugboat help, landing at the Bristol Marine pier on Wednesday morning last week. The Eleanor is already in the hands of the exceptional Bristol Marine crew which is very focused on a substantial checklist of work. The same day the ship arrived in the Harbor it was floated onto the awaiting car and transported up the main railway, properly managed by a dozen yard workers, a tender boat and skilled diver who confirmed proper blocking support. The process of moving the ship out of the water is tedious and well thought out. A blocking plan had been in place for two weeks anticipating Eleanor’s arrival but weather delayed the trip from Boston.

The yard is under the gun to complete repairs for a return to Boston in March. Extra personnel has been hired by Bristol Marine to help meet the deadline. A minimum of  workers will be 10 dedicated to the project at all times.

The original Eleanor was one of several vessels owned by leading Boston merchant, smuggler and Selectman John Rowe. He owned stores, warehouses and Rowe’s Wharf. He was influential in protesting British authority. The Eleanor, with a cargo of 114 chests of British East India Tea, arrived in Boston at Griffin’s Wharf on Dec. 2, 1773, 14 days before the Dec. 16, 1773 Boston Tea Party.

There were no original plans for the Eleanor but it is believed to have been based on plans similar to a ship called LONDON. The replica, now on the big railway at Bristol Marine, is earmarked for major repairs including rebuilding the transom and the bow along with significant structural work on planking and superstructure. The present day Eleanor was “created” from the retired fishing vessel Uncle Guy built in Thomaston, Maine in 1936, fishing out of Gloucester until 2000. The Eleanor is about 90’ on deck.

After photographing the Ernestina-Morrissey project for seven years this will be much less complicated. However, the work will be interesting to observe and photograph. Wood for the project has been secured from American sources and from the Danish Royal Navy oaks, a source well employed for the Ernestina-Morrissey project. The wood stacked at the yard is incredibly impressive. Massive slabs, many six inches thick and 30 inches wide, may be as old as 200 years. The trees were planted to provide material for shipbuilding, but as the need diminished, the forests did not. So there is an ample supply of material to be utilized for the Eleanor project.

The Eleanor will return to Boston as part of The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum where it will be a central historic feature. The ships and museum were voted USA Today’s #1 Best Patriotic Attraction.